International Emergency Dental Program Available from BCBSGA's Dental Business

ATLANTA, June 23 /PRNewswire/ -- DeCare Dental, a global dental benefit management company and a wholly owned subsidiary of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia's (BCBSGA) Parent Company is pleased to introduce the International Emergency Dental Program – a service that gives dental members and their covered dependents access to emergency dental care from credentialed dentists around the world.

"The last thing a dental member wants to think about when they're working abroad or on vacation in another country is where they should go if they need emergency dental treatment," said Mike Walsh, president of BCBSGA's dental business. "However, concerns like this can be set aside thanks to this program."

"When dental members experience an unexpected tooth injury or other dental emergency, they can call our international service center and talk with an English-speaking customer service representative who will help them find a dentist. In addition, all of the providers in this program are English-speaking too," continued Walsh. "This is a great program for dental members because it gives them peace of mind and access to care 24 hours a day, each and every day, when they're traveling abroad."

When a member receives his or her emergency dental care from an International Emergency Dental Program dentist, they are reimbursed in full and the claim is not calculated into their annual dental plan maximum. However, their claim will be paid at an out-of-network level if they:

Receive emergency dental care out of the country from a dentist who is not in the International Emergency Dental Program

Receive non-emergency dental care from any dentist outside of the United States

Because of the services that are available with this program, members do not need to worry about what they should do or where they should go if they experience a dental emergency when traveling abroad.

To see the current list of international providers, and/or to download the list before a trip, go to:

A wholly owned subsidiary of WellPoint, DeCare Dental is headquartered in Eagan, Minnesota. DeCare's Operations Center, based in Gilbert on Minnesota's Iron Range, includes customer service, claims processing and broker and small group sales. With 40 years of proven success, DeCare Dental serves 10 of the world's leading dental insurance brands. For more information on DeCare Dental, visit www.decare.com.

About Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia:

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia, Inc. and Blue Cross and Blue Shield Healthcare Plan of Georgia, Inc. are independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association® . The Blue Cross and Blue Shield names and symbols are registered marks of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Additional information about Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia is available at www.bcbsga.com.